Apparatus for feeding cigarettes or like articles



' July 1, 1930. A. G. ms: 1,76 3 0 APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CIGARETTES QR LIKE ARTICLES Filed May 7, 1929 v s Sheets-Sheet 1 July 1, 1930. A. G. ROSE 1,769,650

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CIGARETTES OR LIKE ARTICLES Filed May 7, 1929 1 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A. G. ROSE 1,769,650

July 1, 1930.

I APPARATUS FOR FEEDING 'CIGARETTES OR LIKE ARTICLES a Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 7, 1929 7 v I 11 I l" h al ment, or the like.

Patented .iuly l, 1930 I tieaes o ALFRED enmrnnnosnon eainssenouen, nnenann, Assienon on onE-HA FJ'ro ROSE nno'rnnns (GAINSBGB-OUGEI) Lia-ii .ISH COMPANY AZEPABAJEUS; non .rnnn ne elseinnrrns on LIKE nnrIeLns I Application filed am, 1929}. ser a no; senses, an in area; Britain May 24, 192 s.

' This invention is for improvements in or relating to apparatus for feeding cigarettes or like articles, i. e. artielesof similar shape, all of which articles for brevlty will be referred to hereinafter as cigarettes.

eeding cigarettes or articles. of similar shape whereln the articles to :be fedjpass from a hopper down a series of channels to a vsupport niember and are conveyed one row; or more than one row, ata time, by

means vof a pusher or pushers provided on a reciprocating carrier, continuously traveLv ling chain or the like; from the said supportmember to a conveyor-channel receiving-ele- According to the present invention there it is provided in cigarette-feedingapparatus of the typedescribed, means operable afterthe removal of a batch of cigarettes from" the magazine to support the remaining cigarettes therein and to lower them on to the feedtable or the like in such manner that they are maintained substantially horizontal during said lowering movement; 7

The invention is' particularly concerned with cigarette-feeding apparatus comprising shopper which communicates, with a mega this that is divided by partitions into a nunn her of vertical compartments into'which the cigarettes pass, each compartment bein g arranged to receive one or morerows of superposed cigarettes, a table located beneath said magazine and onto Whichthe lowermosti horizontalProw of cigarettes falls; and a ciprocating; pusher arranged to push the lowermost horizontal row (or. two or more horizontal rows) of cigarettes endwise through an opening in a Wall of the magazine onto a conveyor or to location where they are to be subsequently dealt with'ffor example, packeted. f wIn such known apparatus; the forward and backward movements of Athe-reciprocatingpu'sher have been madein one and the Same horizontal planeyand it has been found in practice that during-"the backward move inent of the pusher, the front ends of the lowermost horizont-alrow of cigarettesin the magazine fall onto the table-while the rear 7 This invention relates to apparatus for descent of the cigarettes in the magazine is:

erwith the result that the descent of the cigarettes in the arious compartmentsof the magazine is irregular and the cigarettes are apt to become wedged or jammed in said TED, 0E GAINSBOROUGH, ENG-LAND, BRITr v 1 ends thereof are still supported hythe push compartments andthe operation of the app paratus to becomeuncertain and unreliable.

- The aforesaid disadvantage is obviated by the aresent invention according towhieh the controlled byj '1nean.s which as 7 described above support the cigarettes and inainta n, them horizontal while they are lowered on to the feed table. To this end, the reciprocating pusher maybe movable horizontally "to feed abatch ofcigarettes from the'maga means are provided to'inaintain the pusher horizontal throughout its entire travel.

"For a more complete understanding of theinr'ention one embodiment thereofwill now bedescribed by way of example, with refer enee to the wh1ch1+ i inure accompanying drawings in 1 is an endelevationpartlyin secof the apparatus,"

Figure 2 1 s a side elevation partly in-section;' 7 y y -Fignre 3 is aplan; and p I i Fi s4 and Bare side elevations showing certain parts of the"pusher-operating meshianism in ditferent positions to that shown "n Figure 2. i i Y V Like reference numerals'i'ndicate like parts throughoutfthe drawings. The apparatus, comprises "a hopper 1O whichis charged with cigarettes lay-hand or "otherwise'as may be convenient. This hop per communicates with'a magazine 11 which is divided by vert1cal part tions 12 ntofive compartments13 'each adapted to contain one row of superposed cigarettes 14. It will be understood that thecigarettes gravitate from thehopper into said compartments,

,q TheshaEt sti ma-ma by meansof a "but vfor convenience no cigarettes are shown in the hopper; ;The,lowerend of the 'maga-' H zinevll is open; and adjacenttheretoisai vtablehaving fivefslots l6'therein each oft which extends in a directionwparallel to the axes of .thegcigarettes inythe corresponding compartment18, is narrower than saidcoma -e 7 partment,andis ar riged centrally thereof.'

fingers'jl8 in theuforin of thin blades of rec- "tangular cross-section with-their longer sides vertical h ofwidtatl finge an propriated to? "one ofwtlh'e compartments 13 andeach is arrangedfto, discharge two cigaw e rettes therefrom. An opening 19. is provided in onevwallof the magazine 11 togpermit the Pa sa ePfheims i afin slew a ,opening through} which the cigarettes are uncharged isprovidedfin 'the opposite wall ol s ma azi e '1 ,flihe pusher. 17 carries two s pindles 21, 22. 'Qn the spindle 21two links 23 are pivotally inted at t e r uppe e dsan a 15111124 I spindle-223A bcllcrank'element having 7 twoi;horizontahwarrns 25 and two vertical arms'f 26' connected a bridge-memberj27 {is mounted ona spindle 28 carried in bearl jDg-bosses} 29 on the corresponding ends of two 3 arms 30,fwhieh armsextend fron a" 29 s. .31, p rat'al r mount ion a p e supported in abracket 33. An arm 34 extends ifromtheboss 31 and carries at its out- EIYQLLQCL 'a roller 35 which engagesafcam 36 t on a shaft 3'] The lower end of the link 24L i is pivotally mounted on, the spindle 28, v and the lower end of each of, the links 23 is pivg i fotally mounted'on a"spindle 38 carriedin element JKWhlCilL-ZLIIII is,, "longer. than,' the gothe'r) and fat itsother. endon a stud mounted in a bracket 42.1 2

" "bevel wheel 48 thereon: which meshes witha Y svel Wh l. n a s af which may b -.driven by any convenient means A' crank i6 is securedgtothe shaft and is'oper atiyeconnected by af connecting, rod 41"? to'the The pivotalipoint is j the; asks 23 ands l "are so arranged-that 'saidfilinks"together? :I A withthe pusherflfland horizontal arms I 2501 the aforesaid bell-crankelement con I stitute a parallehmotion fldevice. Similariythepivotal, poiiltsfof th arm 30 a d 39:; i are arranged softl at these QarmsY form .part f andit a a eaa a -1Yice i} when lows A.ssumi-ng that the various parts of fthe apparatus occupy the positions shown in liigures 1,2 and 3,.wl1en the shaft 37 is -islpixzotallyanountedat itsupper end on the arettes has been pushed out of the magazine,

' cycleof operations is repeated continuous- ,combinationof a'inagazine to contain a suptheshaft 37 is rotated the conjoint action of the said parallel-motion devices causes the pusher '1 7 to remain horizontal while continuously travelling in a closed path indicated by the chain line 48 in Figure 2. It

a t ,a will be appreciated that the shape of said path depends upon the shape of the cam 36 and the throw of the crank l6. j

The operation ofthe apparatus is as fol rotated the pusher l7 Il1OV6S forwardly and the pushingfingers 18 discharge abatch of ten' cigarettes through the opening 20 in the front wall of the magazine 11 and push said batch along the table 15 to a conveyor or other receivinganember to be subsequent} ly dealt with. During the time that the pushing-fingers are moving forwardly they are-located above the feed-tablev l5; and ad- 'vancethroug'h the magazine 11, and thecigarettes in the lowermost horizontal row' above the batch which being discharged rest onthc-upper horizontal surfaces of said pushing-fingers. Consequently the cigarettes contained in thevarious compartments 13 of the magazine above the said horizontallrow also remain horizontal. As soon as convenient after the aforesaidbatchof cigthe pushing-fingers move downwardly and rearwardly in the slots 16 in the table as r shown in Figure ,4; so that the cigarettes supported by the pushing-fingers are gradually lowered until the lowermost row thererettes while-being thus lowered are supported in a horizontal position. by the pushing fingers, and thusthe risk of them becoming 5 jammed in the magazine is eliminated. The pusher l7 descends until the pushing-fingers arebelowzthe level of the'upper surface of thefeed-table and continues its rearward .movement as shown in Figure 5. ,"Whenthepushing-fingers are clear of the magazineythe pusher returns to the position ShOW-IlSlIL YFlgHIG 2 .to discharge the next i batch of cigarettes from the magazine. This ly and the pushing-fingers remain horizontal 'thoughout the whole of their travel.v

V a The invention isnot restricted to the precise constructional details describedas various chan'gescan be madewithout departing from the'inventionL a e a Iclaim: r l V i .1: In apparatusoi thetype described for 1 feedingiteigarettes or similar articles, the

ply of the armies aforesaid, a pusher located at the lower end ofthe magazine and means for operating thef pusher-to eject batch'jof cigarettesfro'mthe magazine by of comes to rest on'thetable 15. The cigaquently to lower the articles superimposed on that batch to the base of the magazine by vertical movement of a nature such that the articles are maintained horizontal during the lowering movement 2. In apparatus of the type described for feeding cigarettes or similar articles, the combination of a magazine to contain'a supply of the articles in a plurality of superimposed batches, a feeding device located at the lower end of the magazine and arranged to make end-on engagement with the lowermost batch of articles therein and at the same time to support upon its upper surface the batches which are above theone with which the pusher makes end-on engagement, means for reciprocating the pusher horizontally to eject the batches one at a time from the magazine, and means for lowering the pusher at the end of each forward feeding strolre'in such manner as to lower the, articles supported by it to the base of the magazine while maintaining said articles substantially horizontal.

3. In apparatus of the type described for feeding cigarettes or similar articles, the

combination of a magazine to contain. a supply of the articles aforesaid in a plurality of superimposed batches, a support upon which the lowermost articles in the magazine are adapted to rest, a pusher located at the lower end of the magazine and so constructed as to make end-onengagement with thelowermost batch of articles and to support upon its upper surface the superimposed batches, and means for operating descend to a lower level and to return to its initial'position, and a parallel motion linkage operatively connected to the pusher and arranged to maintain it substantially horizontal during its entire travel. a

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ALFRED GERMAN ROSE.

the pusher first to advance through the bottom of the magazine ejecting a batch therefrom, and then to return at a level below the upper surface of the support aforesaid, and means to maintain the pusher horizontal throughout its entire travel.

f. In a cigarette feeding apparatus of the type describechthe combination of a maga zine divided by partitions into a plurality of vertical compartments down which the cigarettes are adapted to gravitate, a table located beneath said magazine to support t the lowermost row of cigarettes therein, an e I ejecting pusher located at the lower end i of tie magazine and comprising a plurality of fingers, one appropriated to each of the vertical compartments aforesaid, sin 7 ranged to make end-on engagement with.

the-lowermost row of cigarettes in the magazine and to support upon thelr upper'surfaces the superimposed, rows, and means to reciprocatethe pusher in such manner that.

the fingers aforesaid advancehorizontally through the magazine to eject the lowermost row therefrom and at the end of each advance as aforesaid descend to lower the super-imposed rows onto the'table aforesaid while maintaining them substantially horizontal. 

